


Right in Front of You

by sushibunny



Category: Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Teenagers, F/M, First Dates, Fluff, Sif and Loki Are Not As Upset As They Pretend To Be, Thor is a Matchmaker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-23
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-02 23:16:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2829569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushibunny/pseuds/sushibunny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sif and Loki figure out that their date is a setup by Thor, they decide to continue it and exact their revenge later. But will they still want revenge after the night is over?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Right in Front of You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [NoRationalThoughtRequired](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoRationalThoughtRequired/gifts).



> Happy Holidays and Merry Sifkimas NoRationalThoughtRequired! 
> 
> I tried to incorporate your prompt and give you something nice and fluffy. I hope you enjoy!

When Sif had agreed to go out with her best friend’s little brother, this was the furthest from what she had expected.

She had assumed it would be a simple dinner-and-a-movie sort of event, or perhaps a coffee date, or even an outing to a sports game. Something short, if not sweet, something normal. Something she could be done with in a few hours, or that would at least be distracting enough for her to ignore the inevitably terrible date.

But this she had not anticipated.

“A drive-in? Do people still go to those?” Sif asked incredulously as Loki pulled away from her home.

The black haired youth shot her a smirk before turning back to the road. “I think they must if one is still open,” he said, his voice full of the usual sarcasm she was accustomed to, yet there was also a playful tone to it that made her not take offense at his words.

“Hmm, touché,” she agreed, surprised to feel a smile tug at the corner of her lips. “What made you pick such a thing for our date?” Sif asked curiously.

“Well, I couldn’t very well choose a common destination, not for such an uncommon girl,” Loki replied smoothly, reminding Sif of his well-earned nickname, Silvertongue.

“Should I take that as a compliment?” she asked amused, rolling her eyes.

He shot her a sly grin. “Of course. You should know I hold little regard for common things.”

Sif murmured her understanding, knowing that was certainly the case with the youngest Odinson. Ever since she could remember, Loki had been different. True, both brothers were handsome and from a well-respected family, which certainly helped both of them get away with things. But that was where their similarities ended. Loki’s dark hair was a sharp contrast to Thor’s blonde locks, the elder’s build muscular and stocky where Loki was slender and lean. Thor preferred to fill his time with sports and school committees while Loki stuck to the outskirts of high school society, spending more time in the library than he did in any school sanctioned club.

And it had always been that way with the two. Loki had preferred reading to the wild games of his brother and his friends, his nose in a book while Thor played at sword fighting with a stick. It had continued as they grew, Thor remaining the social one while Loki preferred to spend his time alone, only occasionally joining his brother and his cohorts, and that was usually in order to pull off some prank.

Yes, Loki was not one for common things. But why then did he hold her in such high esteem? She was his brother’s best friend, a jock, a joiner, a well-known member of their high school. She was practically the female version of Thor.

But then again, it was different for her, wasn’t it? Those things that made Thor popular made Sif infamous. She was involved in as many sports teams as possible, more than Thor even, helped out many different clubs and committees, yet she could count on one hand the number of real friends she had. And they were all male. It seemed what was good for the gander wasn’t always so for the goose.

Perhaps that was what Loki saw in her. She was an outlier amongst females, just as he was amongst other males. Maybe he saw in her a kindred spirit? Sif almost snorted at the thought. She highly doubted Loki really thought that deeply about anything that didn’t involve his next prank, and she was quite certain that he had learned his lesson about pranking her after the incident with the bottle of bleach when they were younger. Then again, she had also learned never to underestimate the darker brother.

“So…” she began, trying to fill the silence that had fallen between them, deciding it was better to quit dwelling on her thoughts about Loki. “Why did you want to take me out anyway? On a date, I mean?”

Sif was honestly curious. When Thor had come up to her that week and asked her to go out with his quiet brother, she had balked at first. Why didn’t Loki ask himself if he was so interested? But Thor had convinced her he was too shy, too intimidated, story of her life, Sif had thought, so she had let it go. He had made an oddly convincing argument about why she should agree, so she had, thinking one date wouldn’t hurt.

Loki looked over at her strangely as they rolled to a stop at a red light. “Why did _I_ want to take _you_ out? Don’t you have that backwards?”

She raised an eyebrow at him in question. “What do you mean?” she said slowly, suddenly feeling worry and suspicion run through her.

“It was you who asked me to take you out, through my brother nonetheless,” he said pointedly, as if he was explaining something to a young child. “I’m usually a fan of games, but for the life of me I cannot figure out what you are playing at, Sif.”

She stared at him in shocked silence for a moment, not noticing when they began driving again. “What?” she eventually screeched, sending him an incredulous expression. “Thor told me that you wished to go out with me! If this is some sort of joke, Loki, it is far from amusing!”

A heavy silence filled the car once again, Loki continually glancing over at her as if she were a puzzle he were trying to decipher while she just glared at him, waiting for an explanation. Finally he grinned at her. Grinned!

“You have five seconds to either explain or wipe that grin off your face, Loki Odinson, before I do it for you!”

He chuckled a moment before thinking better of it, schooling his face at her glare. “It appears we have been duped,” he surmised, lips curling up at her confused frown. “And I never thought Thor had it in him,” he mused, more to himself than her.

“You’re saying you brother, my best friend, set us up on a date?” she asked, the words sounding ridiculous to her ears. “Why?”

Loki looked thoughtful for a moment. “That part I have yet to figure out,” he admitted, pursing his lips as he considered it. “Perhaps he is trying to get back at us for something? Though that doesn’t sound like Thor,” he admitted, brushing off the thought. “I rarely understand the inner workings of my dear brother’s mind,” he said with a shrug, brushing it off.

“Are you not curious?” Sif asked, surprised that Loki of all people would let such a thing go so easily.

“Of course I am,” he said giving her a surprised look. “However, there is no sense in dwelling on it at the moment. After all, we have a date to go on.”

“A date,” she deadpanned, looking at him as if he had grown another head. “But this is all a trick! A ruse set up by your soon-to-be-deceased brother! Why on Earth would you wish to continue it?”

“Why, to throw him off the scent of course,” Loki said, as if it were obvious. “I can’t very well pull off a revenge scheme if he is aware it is coming.”

For once Sif found herself in agreement with the trickster. Oh, Thor would pay, she would make sure of it.

“And besides,” he added, fishing a roll of bills out of his pants. “Thor was kind enough to fund this little excursion; wouldn’t want to disappoint him, now would we?”

Sif’s answering smirk was just as devious as Loki’s. “No, we certainly wouldn’t.”

They shared an oddly natural-feeling grin as they pulled into the drive-in and Sif wondered if the date wouldn’t turn out to be as bad as she had thought.

* * *

 "How do these establishments manage to make money?" Loki asked incredulously halfway through the second two year old B-list movie of the night.

"I believe I said something to that affect earlier," Sif laughed, popping more extra buttered popcorn into her mouth.

"Remind me never to doubt you again," he replied solemnly, shifting in his seat to get more comfortable.

"Don't tempt me," she teased, passing over the bag of popcorn in what had become a ritual between the two.

Sif accepted the box of Milk Duds in return, giving her date a grin that had become surprisingly easy over the course of the evening. She felt her cheeks heat up at Loki's returning smile, not for the first time surprised at what an enjoyable time she was having with him. 

They had quickly fallen into an easy rhythm on their date, finding they both had similar tastes in movie theater snacks and the movies themselves. Loki thought it quite refreshing to be with someone who not only didn't chastise him for his snarky commentary during the terrible movies, but also joined in with great enthusiasm.

He was surprised at the wit Sif displayed as she mocked the films, though after further thought he realized he shouldn't be. Even though his interaction with his brother's best friend had been fairly limited as he preferred to be on his own more often than not, he had spent time with her and the rest of Thor's idiotic friends on numerous occasions. And he had often thought she was by far the most intelligent and witty of the bunch, probably the only one who he would be able to tolerate one-on-one for an extended period of time. And it turned out he was right, as usual of course. 

Sif also found herself observing her companion more closely. She had always thought of Loki as the prankster, as little more than Thor's annoying younger brother. Yet she realized she had also found him to be very charismatic when he wanted to be, usually when it was of benefit to himself, but still, it was a quality she had found intriguing before.

He was also smart, funny, and much more level-headed than his brother, something Sif often wished was a family trait. Clearly there was much more to Loki than she had first thought, tonight only cementing that theory for her. 

"Well. That was... Something," Loki said as the credits began to roll, frowning deeply at the screen as if it had personally wronged him.

"That's not quite the word I would use, but perhaps I'm not as generous as you," Sif said, flashing him a smile. 

Loki looked over at her doubtfully. "I don't think you would find many who would agree with that statement my dear Sif," he said, though the lilt in his tone told her he was joking with her. 

"Well, I suppose that is what happens when you cultivate the title of Trickster," she teased, grinning smugly at him.  

His eyes narrowed playfully at her. "Oh, is that so?" he asked, tone promising payback. 

Sif smirked at him. "Oh, it definitely is." 

"Well then, I wouldn't want to disappoint," he drolled before suddenly reaching out and snatching the last of the candy from her hands. 

Hey!" she cried out, immediately following the path of her stolen treat.

A path which lead her to end up leaning across the center console and half across the Trickster himself.

Sif drew in a sharp breath when she realized their position. She was gripping his wrist which held her candy up against the window while her other hand braced herself on the console, her chest pressed against his while his face was mere inches away from her own. She knew her cheeks were becoming redder by the second, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to move away. 

Loki couldn't breathe. One second he was teasing her, playing a silly trick. And the next this gorgeous girl, and oh yes, of course he had always noticed her looks, was pressed up against him, her lips so close he could smell the peppermint of her chapstick. 

And much to his surprise, the only thought running through his mind was whether or not she would beat him to a pulp if he kissed her, and if it wouldn't be worth it just for a taste of her.  

Before Loki could make any kind of move, Sif suddenly retreated, her hand dropping his as if she had been burned, settling back on her side of the car. He would have been hurt at her actions, much more than he would ever have thought possible, if he had not seen her eyes dart down to his lips before she had pulled away. 

"Sorry," she mumbled, unable to make eye contact.

She felt ridiculous! How could she let herself get so carried away, to act like she would with any of her friends? Not that she would consider kissing any of her friends. Not that she would ever _date_ any of her friends. Sif berated herself, this wasn't a real date though. Perhaps she should just act normally with him, treat him as she would Thor. But then why did doing so feel so wrong? 

"There is nothing for you to apologize for," Loki said quickly. "If anything, I am the one who should apologize. Here," he said solemnly, holding out the pilfered candy. "My lady," he added, attempting to lighten the mood. 

The small smile tugging at her lips told him he had succeeded as she took the proffered box, looking at it intently as they sat in silence.  

"I don't know about you, but I could certainly use something a touch healthier than popcorn and soda right now," Loki began, watching her closely from the corner of his eye. "How about some ice cream?"

Sif couldn't help but laugh, just as he had hoped.

"Is that a yes?" 

She could only shake her head, smile wide on her face. "I swear, you could give Volstagg a run for his money."

"I will take that as a compliment," he declared turning his nose up in a fake show of haughtiness.

Sif continued to laugh at him as he drove them to an open shop, her favorite she noted as they pulled up to park.

Loki insisted on fetching their ice cream, leaving her to wait by the car with her thoughts. She knew this was a setup. Loki hadn't actually wanted to go out with her. They were just going on with the charade to get back at Thor.

But was that really the case anymore? When she thought about it now, she no longer felt any anger towards her friend, only... Gratefulness? Was she truly glad he had pushed them together, forced them to see that there could be something between them? 

Sif wasn't stupid. She spent her time surrounded by boys, she knew a thing or two about them, and she could definitely tell when they were interested in a girl. Loki was certainly more subtle about it, but the signs were still there; the unnecessarily long touches as they traded snacks, the way his eyes would roam her body when he thought she wasn't paying attention. The way he had looked like he had wanted to kiss her when she had practically tackled him in the car. 

And she had to admit, his interest wasn't one sided. He could still irritate her to no end, it was like a godly power, but instead of wanting to silence him with a fist, Sif was beginning to consider a much more pleasurable option. And that didn't scare her as much as she thought it would. 

Perhaps Thor wasn't as daft as everyone thought he was.

Deep in thought, she headed back around the car to the passenger door, grabbing some leftover napkins for the ice cream through the open window.

"Sif? Where are you?" came Loki's slightly worried voice.

She stood up, smiling at him brightly. "I'm right in front of you, Loki." 

He stood there for a moment in silence, considering her words. 

How long had he known the dark haired beauty before him? A dozen years? Yet he had failed to notice her, really notice her before. And now thanks to his brother, shockingly enough, he had the chance to really get to know her. 

And he would make the most of that chance.

"Yes," he said, his tone contemplative. "I suppose you always have been."  


End file.
